Railway cattle-guard.



. Patented Sept. 25, |900.

J. DONOVAN.

RAILWAY CATTLE GUARD.

(Application med my s1, 1900.) (Noy Model.)

QCMQCQ@ Q@ @@@CQQQ M MMM Q@@CQ wem@ NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE..

JAMES DONOVAN, OF THREE RIVERS, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR TO THE ROBERTS CAR AND WHEEL COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

RAILWAY CATTLE-GUARD.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 658,252, dated September 25, 1900.

Application iiled May 31,1900. Serial No. 18,658. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.' f

Be it known that I, JAMES DONOVAN, a' citizen of the United States, residing at Three Rivers, in the county of St. Joseph and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railway Cattle- Guards, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

The invention relates to railway cattleguards; and it is the object of the invention to obtain an inexpensive construction and one which will be unaffected by the action of the elements.

Heretofore it has been customary to form railway cattle-guards either of wood or metal or a combination of the two. Where wood is employed, it is of course subject to decay, so as to necessitate frequent repairs, while the metal is subject to corrosion, which in a comparatively-short time will destroy the strength and efficiency of the guard. Another iniiuence that tends to destroy the metal guards is the dripping of salt water from the refrigerator-cars passing over the road. In the present invention the objection to both wood and metal is overcome by forming the guard of molded sections of a non-corrodible material, such as vitriiied tile; and the invention consists in the peculiar construction, arrangement, and combination of parts, as hereinaftendescribed and claimed.

In the drawings, Figure lis a plan view of the railway cattle-guard. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section thereof on a larger scale, and Fig. 3 is a perspective view of one of the sections and the securing means thereof detached.

The guard is preferably formed of a number of like sections, which may be of any desired shape or size. As shown in the drawings, each of these sections comprises a reetangular base A, provided with a series of upwardly-projecting pyramids or cones B. These pyramids or cones may be either solid or hollow, as shown. The sections may be molded from any suitable non-corrodible material; but tile is preferably used, both on account of its cheapness and also because it is absolutely proof against the actionof salt water or of the elements. shown, are of a size to span the distance between the two ties and preferably secured in position by means of the Yflat nails or spikes C, which latter may be formedl from sheet metal, having heads formed by oppositely-eX- tended bent iianges a and b. These'nails or spikes maybe then driven between' the edges of the tile-sections and their heads will thus securely fasten the sections t0 the ties.

What I claim as my invention is l. A railway cattleguard, comprising a molded section of non-corrodible material comprising a base and a series of pointed upward projections formed integral therewith.

2. A- railway cattle-guard comprising a molded section of non-corrodible material con sisting of a base and a hollow cone formed integral therewith and projecting upwardly therefrom.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature inv presence of two witnesses.

' JAMES DONOVAN.

Witnesses:

JAMES WHITTEMORE. M. B. ODOGHERTY.

The sections, as 

